David Price and CC Sabathia have been two of the best pitchers in baseball, but both are having very different seasons. Price has been on a dominating streak, keeping the Tampa Bay Rays on top of the AL East, while Sabathia has been one of the weaker links in the Yankees pitching rotation.
The Rays are tied with Boston for the division lead. Price gives the team an edge as he has a 1.89 ERA over his past 10 starts. He has the lowest AL ERA since July 1 and overall sits at 7-5 with a 3.29 ERA for the season. During his last 10 starts, he has thrown three complete games and has gone 6-1 in the stretch.
The interesting twist with Price is how he has struggled at home. In nine home starts, the pitcher is 1-4 with a 3.84 ERA. When he face the Yankees at home last he allowed three runs off eight hits.
Meanwhile, Sabathia is streaking, hoping to win his third-straight start for the first time since April. He won his last two starts because of run support since he surrendered nine runs and 11 walks in those games. He has lost three of four starts against the Rays this season, recording a 8.31 ERA against the team. In his past two starts, the Yankees have gifted the pitcher with 15 runs in support.
The Yankees are in a race for the wild card spot. They currently sit 6 1/2 games behind the Red Sox and 3 1/2 behind Oakland who currently hold on to the wild card slot. Before losing Friday, New York had won 10 of 12.
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